The Quebec Education Department announced Tuesday that it has revoked the teaching licences of 11 educators at Bedford Elementary School in Montreal. The revocations follow a year‑long probe that concluded the staff members, most of North African descent, had largely ignored mandated science and sex‑education curricula and had allegedly led students in prayer. The decision marks the latest enforcement of Quebec’s strict secularism law in the province’s public schools.

License revocations affect 11 Bedford Elementary teachers

According to the department’s final report, dated December 2025, eleven teachers had their credentials stripped after investigators found they “spent little time on – or refused to teach – science or sex education.” The report also alleges that the teachers “introduced Islamist religious concepts into public schools” by organizing classroom prayers. the Education Ministry confirmed that the licences were withdrawn based on the findings of the 2024 investigation.

Government probe began in June 2024 and expanded to 17 schools

The inquiry was launched in June 2024 after complaints surfaced about curriculum gaps and religious activities at Bedford.. the investigation’s scope widened after the ministry announced a separate review of 17 other schools across the French‑language system, including three in Quebec City, one in Gatineau, two in Saguenay, and eleven in the Montreal area.. Those schools are also being examined for possible breaches of Quebec’s secularism law, which bans overt religious expression in public institutions.

Report authors propose 24 school‑specific and 10 system‑wide reforms

Jean‑Pierre Aubin and Malika Habel, provincial officials tasked with monitoring the case, released 24 recommendations tailored to Bedford Elementary. Among them : mandatory bi‑annual teacher evaluations, the option to bring in external experts for support, and a reinforcement of the French‑language requirement in classrooms.. The broader set of ten recommendations calls for a province‑wide amendment to the education code to explicitly forbid any religious activity—both during school hours and after‑hours—in public schools.

Who remains unidentified and what remains to be proven?

The report never names the individual teachers, referring only to them as “the unnamed staffers.” This anonymity leaves open questions about whether any of the educators will contest the revocations, and whether the investigation fully accounted for cultural or linguistic factors that may have influenced classroom practices. Moreover, the ministry has not disclosed whether any appeals have been filed, nor how the new evaluation framework will be funded.

Broader implications for Quebec’s secularism enforcement

Quebec’s secularism law , often called la loi sur la laïcité, has been a flashpoint since its adoption in 2019. The Bedford case adds a new chapter by targeting not just overt symbols but alleged instructional content. As the Coalition Avenir Québec government continues to audit schools, educators across the province are watching closely for signs of stricter oversight. If the recommended reforms are adopted, teachers could face more frequent performance reviews and tighter curriculum monitoring, reshaping classroom autonomy in the province.